2013 Top Advisor Rankings: Washington

Ranked #1: Erik Morgan ♦ Morgan, like his clients, has benefited from a long run of wealth-creation in the Seattle area; think Amazon.com and Microsoft. He enjoys helping those with new wealth navigate its "softer" but still challenging aspects--to be good stewards of wealth--but his main goal, of course, is wise investing. And in this tricky economic and political environment, it's far more complicated than a 60/40 split of stocks and bonds, he says. Morgan, 43, recommends a portfolio of about 20% fixed-income investments, about 40% equities, 15% hedge funds, and the rest in direct investments into distressed real estate and private equity, where, he says, there are still "fantastic values." Even though Morgan missed much of the run-up in stocks in the past two years, he still feels that "the more compelling opportunities are in the more illiquid assets." -- HILARY JOHNSON